Peru

1. Peru

2. Minerals and inequality • It is rich in copper, silver, lead, zinc, oil and gold. • Despite this, Peru's progress has been held back by corruption and the failure of successive governments to deal with social and economic inequality. • A small elite of Spanish descent controls most of the wealth and political power, while indigenous Peruvians are largely excluded from both and make up many of the millions who live in poverty.

3. Capitalistic growth • The Peruvian economy grew by almost 6% per year during the period 2002-06 • Growth jumped to nearly 9% per year in 2007 • 10% in 2008, driven by private investment and government spending • Then fell to less than 1% in 2009 in the face of the world recession • Growth resumed in 2010 at above 8.8% , 6.9% in 2011, and 6.3% in 2012, and 5.1$ in 2013

4. Trading with the west • Peru has signed trade deals with the United States, Canada, Singapore, China, Korea, and Japan, concluded negotiations with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and Chile, and begun trade talks with Central American countries and others. • The US-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA) entered into force 1 February 2009, opening the way to greater trade and investment between the two economies.

5. Coca • Violence is still a problem and has been linked to the drug trade. • Peru is one of South America's biggest producers of coca • Coca production is legal, but eradication efforts have been used for years to minimize production of cocaine. • The U.S. financially supports these efforts • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETGDPlcE-NE

6. Democracy arrives • Peru emerged from 20 years of dictatorship in 1945 with the inauguration of President José Luis Bustamente y Rivero

7. 3 in succession • Bustamente y Riveroserved for only three years and was succeeded in turn by Gen. Manuel A. Odria, Manuel Prado y Ugarteche, and Fernando Belaúnde Terry.

8. Coup • On Oct. 3, 1968, Belaúnde was overthrown by Gen. Juan Velasco Alvarado.

9. Return to civilian leadership? • In 1975, Velasco was replaced in a bloodless coup by his prime minister, Gen. Francisco Morales Bermudez, who promised to restore civilian government.

10. Terry returns • In elections held on May 18, 1980, Belaúnde Terry, the last civilian president, was elected president again.

11. Shining Path emerges • The Maoist guerrilla group Shining Path, or SenderoLuminoso, began their brutal campaign to overthrow the government in 1980. • The military's subsequent crackdown led to further civilian human rights abuses and disappearances • Its stated goal was to replace what it saw as bourgeois democracy with "New Democracy". • The Shining Path believed that by imposing a dictatorship of the proletariat, inducing cultural revolution, and eventually sparking world revolution, they could arrive at pure communism.

12. Tupac emerges • A smaller rebel group, Tupac Amaru, also fought against the government. • About 69,000 people were killed during the 1980–2000 wars between rebel groups and the government.

13. Garcia wins • In 1985, Belaúnde Terry was the first elected president to turn over power to a constitutionally elected successor since 1945. • The new president was Alan Garcia • Garcia will suffer trough 5 years of gross economic mismanagement and allegation of corruption

14. Fujimoro’s reign • Alberto Fujimori won the 1990 elections. • Citing continuing terrorism, drug trafficking, and corruption, Fujimori dissolved Congress, suspended the constitution, and imposed censorship in April 1992. • His administration was accused of massive human rights violations and corruption

15. Fujimori continues to win • Fujimori was reelected in 1995 and again in May 2000 to a third five-year term, after his opponent, Alejandro Toledo, withdrew from the contest, charging fraud.

16. Corruption charges • In Sept. 2000, Fujimori's intelligence chief, VladimiroMontesinos, was videotaped bribing a congressman. • Fujimori announced he would dismantle the powerful National Intelligence Service, which has been accused of human rights violations.

17. Fleeing • Two months later, he stunned his nation by resigning during a trip to Japan. Revelations that Fujimori secretly held Japanese citizenship—and could not be extradited to face corruption charges—enraged the populace.

18. Toldeo wins • In 2001, the centrist Alejandro Toledo was elected president with 53% of the vote, narrowly defeating former president Alan García. • He comes from a poor family and mixed Indian and Latino heritage made him popular among the poor. • Inheriting a country racked by economic troubles and corruption, Toledo did little, however, to restore confidence in the government.

19. Division of wealth still strong • Alejandro Toledo, took office promising to wage "a head-on war on poverty" but struggled to improve the lot of the poor and to deliver on a pledge to create one million jobs over five years. • Toledo oversaw economic growth but had to balance the need for economic prudence with calls for more spending on social programs and public-sector wage increases

20. Pay Raise • Early in his presidency, he gave himself a significant pay raise while at the same time calling for economic austerity.

21. Foreign investment and declining popularity • In June 2002, a popular revolt took place areas of southern Peru after the sale of two state-run electricity firms to a Belgian company, Tractebel. • Toledo had specifically promised during his campaign not to sell these firms. Opinion polls at the time indicated that more than 60% of Peruvians were adamantly opposed to privatization and foreign investment, which in the past had led to price increases, mass layoffs, corruption, and few discernible benefits for the populace. • A series of scandals and political missteps between 2003 and 2005 caused Toledo's approval ratings to plummet, at one point as low as 8%.

22. Lesser of two evils • In the first round of presidential elections in April 2006, voters chose a former army officer, OllantaHumala, from among 20 candidates. OllantaHumala was backed by Venezuela's populist leftist leader Hugo Chavez. • But in the second round in June, former president Alan García, whose 1985–1990 administration left Peru in economic ruin, made a startling comeback, winning with 52.6% of the votes.

23. Earthquake • In Aug. 2007, an 8.0-magnitude earthquake struck 95 miles southeast of Lima, killing at least 430 people and leveling churches and homes.

24. Fujimori extradited • In Sept. 2007, Chile's Supreme Court approved the extradition of former president Alberto Fujimori to Peru in order to try him on charges of corruption and human rights abuses. He had been in Chile since 2005, when he was detained after stopping there on his way from voluntary exile in Japan back to Peru in order to attempt a political comeback.

25. Garcia inviting investment and ridicule • On Oct. 10, 2008, García's entire cabinet was forced to resign over an oil corruption scandal. • On Oct. 11, 2008, in an attempt to regain popularity, President García appointed a leftist regional governor, YehudeSimon, as his prime minister • His popularity took a hit in 2009 when he passed land laws that allowed large sections of the Amazon to be auctioned off to oil and gas companies. • Violent protests against the laws broke out in the Amazon, and Simon resigned in July 2009 after he negotiated a settlement that included repeal of the laws. García replaced Simon with Javier Velásquez.

26. Fujimoro guilty • In April 2009, after a televised trial that lasted 16 months, Alberto Fujimori was found guilty of human rights abuses and sentenced to 25 years in prison. • Three months later, he was convicted of illegally paying off his former intelligence chief, VladimiroMontesinos, with $15 million in state funds. Montesinos is serving a prison term for corruption

27. Election of 2011 • The first round of presidential elections were held in April 2011 and no candidate received the 50% needed • A second round has been was scheduled for June 2011. The 2 main contenders are leftist OllantaHumalaand Keiko Fujimori, daughter of Alberto Fujimori.

28. Humala Wins • OllantaHumalawas elected president. • For this election, Humala downplayed his radical past and reinvented his image to be viewed as a more moderate leftistand distanced himself from Chavez. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djCRz5m68kE

29. Shining Path continues • The Shining Path continues to exist in Peru. • In April 2009, the Shining Path ambushed and killed 13 government soldiers in Ayacucho.[The dead included eleven soldiers and one captain and two soldiers were also injured, with one reported missing.[ • In November 2009, Shining Path militants had attacked a military outpost in southern Ayacucho province. One soldier was killed and three others wounded in the assault. • On April 28, 2010 Shining Path rebels in Peru ambushed and killed a police officer and two civilians who were destroying coca plantations of Aucayacu • On April 9, 2012, Shining Path rebels kidnapped 42 workers in the Ene and Apurimac valleys. The area is the last stronghold of the rebels. • The Shining Path has been limited to small gangs and only participating in drug trafficking. The hostages were employees of Skanska, Coga, and ConstruccionesModulares. They were working on a new gas plant when they were abducted. • The Shining Path demanded ten million in ransom for the safe return of the hostages. The Peruvian government refused to negotiate. On local TV, Justice Minister Juan Jimenez said that they would "not negotiate with terrorists, the government acts within the law." The government sent 1,500 troops to the area.

30. No Pardon • On June 7, 2013, President OllantaHumala stated that he would not grant a pardon to former President Alberto Fujimori. • Fujimori's family requested the pardon back in October 2012 for medical reasons. In prison for corruption and human rights violations, Fujimori has tongue cancer and other health problems. • Humalasaid he reviewed information from Fujimori's doctors as well as the former president's crimes to make his decision. Prior to Humala's decision, a presidential commission had advised against giving Fujimori a pardon.

31. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otUzI38uuDY • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSHrJqTQ9oA • http://www.economist.com/blogs/americasview/2013/05/corruption-peru?zid=309&ah=80dcf288b8561b012f603b9fd9577f0e • http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/world/americas/14peru.html?_r=0